Hair-clipper.



L. E. VASS. HAIR CLIPPER.

APPLlCATlON FILED APR. 10, 1917. RENEWED JAN. 8,1918.

1,275,107. I Patented Aug. 6, 1918 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY L. E. VASS.

HAIR CLIPPER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. 1917. RENEWED LAN. 8,1918.

1,275,107. Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Aug. 6, 19.

Application filed April 10, 1917, Serial No. 161,025. Renewed January 8, 1918. Serial No. 210,930.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LESLIE E. VASS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Henderson, in the county of Henderson and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hair-Clippers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cutlery, and more especially. to hair clippers; and the object of the same is to provide an instru ment of this character with a gage which is adjustable so that the length of the hair being cut may be varied as desired.

Specifically the preferred means of adjustment includes a roller movable between the fixed blade and the hinged gage, and means for rotating the roller by bearing it on the customers head. Incidentally other means for setting the gage are herein described, and in any case the gage is moved in one direction by a spring. The invention contemplates the entire removal of the gage at times when it is not to be used. Details will be found in the following specification and claims, and reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of, this instrument complete, showing the gage in dotted lines as adjusted.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the head of the instrument.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the instrument, showing the handles in dotted lines m a position to which they may be set if desired.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line 4.-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of the inner ends of the two handles and their hubs.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

7 Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are perspective details respectively of the movable blade, the fixed blade, and the guard or gage.

Fig. 10 is a perspective detail of the mam shaft.

Fig. 11 is a bottom plan view of the 1nstrument in its preferred form of construction, and Fig. 12 is a sectional detail through the lower portion of this type of my 1nvention.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates what I v' ll call the fixed handle, and 2 is the movable handle. 3 is the fixed blade having a comb-like cutting edge and pref- 'main shaft 9. The body of this shaft passes through and is mounted for oscillation in an uprlght standard 10 rising from the rear edge of the fixed blade and provided with a lateral or radial opening 11 through which the finger 8 projects, and this standard is externally threaded as at 12 at its upper end and provided in its upper extremity with an angular socket 13 which is preferably square. Seated in this socket is a squared projection 14: depending from the cupped hub 15 at the inner end of the fixed handle 1, and if the projection and socketare square as suggested the handle may be set at right angles to its usual position. The latter is shown in full lines in Fig. 3, and the right-angular position in' dotted lines. Most users will prefer the usual position, but some may desire to set the handles as seen in dotted lines, and in fact some may desire to set them in a position exactly the reverse to that shown in dotted lines, or in other words which would be pendant from the head as seen in Fig. 3. These details may be left to the user. The movable handle 2 also has a cupped hub 16 whose wall is peripherally slightly larger than that of the hub 15 so that it may fit telescopically over the same as seen in Fig. 2, and the wall of the hub 16 is cut away as at 17 so as to permit this hub to oscillate on the hub 15. Within the cup formed by these mating hubs is disposed a coiled spring 18 whose extremities respectively engage the different hubs in a manner well understood in instruments of this class and needing no further. description. It is only essential that the spring shall cause the normal separation of the handles, whereas they are pressed together by the operator when he closes his hand.

The main shaft 9 extends axially through the two hubs and through the coiled spring 18 therein, and is squared at its upper portion as at 20 to engage a squared hole 21 in the hub 16 of the movable handle, and

therefore the movements of thelatter cause the finger 18 to move from side to side, and this finger by engaging the notch 7 causes the movable blade 5 to reciprocate with re spect to the fixed blade 3 as also usual in instruments of this character. For holding the parts in connected position, the main shaft 9 above its squared portion 20 is reduced and threaded as at 22, and where this threaded end projects beyond the hub 16 of the movable handle 2, it receives a nut 23 as best seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. A guard or housing, 24 incloses the lower portion of the standard and has a lip 25 overlying the movable blade. Next above this guard a washer 26 surrounds the upper threaded end 27 of the standard, and next above the Washer a nut 28 screws onto said threaded end to hold the guard in place and the parts assembledall as best seen in Fig. 2. When the upper nut 23 is removed the handles may be taken out of place, and when the lower nut and its washer are removed the guard may be taken out of place and later the movable blade removed so that it and the other blade may be sharpened. Much of the detail above given is common in instruments of this character, but the prin cipal portion of the invention lies in what follows.

Hinged at '30 to the bottom of the fixed blade is a gage which is preferably of T- shaped structure as best seen in Flg. 9, the same including a shank 31 and a head 32 which latter is provided on its forward edge with comb-like teeth 33 underlying those of the fixed blade and adapted to lie close to them as seen in Fig. 2 or to be deflected beneath them for a little distance as seen in Fig. 12. This gage is for the purpose of spacing the teeth of the fixed blade a certain distance above the scalp of the customer so that the length of the hair remaining on his head may be adjusted, or in other words, the distance of the blades from the scalp may be adjusted to cut the hair long or short as desired. A spring 34 coiled on the hinge-pivot of the gage throws its toothed edge normally upward or into what might be called closed position as seen in Fig. 1, and at this time the hair is cut as short as possible. One means for moving this gage against the tension of its spring is best shown in Figs. 2 and 10. It consists of a long screw- 35 threaded down through the axis of the main shaft 9 with its lower end bearing on the shank 31 of the T-shaped gage or on a boss 36 formed thereon as best seen in Fig. 9, and obviously when this screw is turned to the right the gage is swung on its hinge 30 and its teeth moved downward or away from those of the fixed blade to what might be called its open position as seen in Fig. 12. When this screw is turned to the left or retracted, the spring 34 is permitted to close the gage. Therefore the position of the latter may be adjusted b setting the screw, and obviously this can e done with the left hand while the right hand works the handles.

What might be called my preferred means for adjusting this gage, however, is best seen in Figs. 11 and 12. The shank 31 has the same hinge 30 and spring 34 as above described, and its front edge is of the same construction as seen in Fig. 9. But the shank is here longitudinally slotted as shown at 40, and within and through the slot moves and projects a gear spur wheel 41 whose trunnions'42 ride on the upper face of the shank at opposite sides of its slot and whose teeth engage indentations or teeth 43 in the lower side of the fixed blade. When now the device 7 shown in Fig. 12 is moved to the left with the exposed teeth of the wheel 41 resting on the operators hair or scalp, the wheel is caused to roll toward the hinge 30 and its trunnions 42 naturally travel along the upper face of the shank 31 of the gage, so that the front edge or teeth 33 of the gage are depressed or opened; whereas when the device is moved in the opposite direction, the wheel 41 rolls outward and the spring 34 is permitted to close the gage in a manner which will be clear. The use of this device for adjusting the position of the gage obviates the necessity for the long screw 35, although I might here say that it would be possible to employ it also if the slot 40 were not carried clear up to the hinge as seen in Fig. 11.

Another advantage which flows from the use of this means of adjustment is that when the screw is not employed, there need be no opening as 50 in the fixed blade 3 (see Fig. 8) through which the screw shall project, or in other words, the entire lower face of the fixed blade 3 may be flat and uninterrupted excepting for the rounded knuckles which constitute part of the hinge 30 as shown in that view. The standard 10 may rise integrally from the rear edge of this blade. or it may be connected therewith by a series of screws as shown at 51 in Figs. 11 and 12. But in either case the gage may be removed entirely by withdrawing the hinge-pin and displacing the spring 34 and the wheel 41, and thereafter the clippers may be used without the gage at all. Of course this would be possible with the screw form of adjustment, but the fixed blade then has a. hole or opening 50 through which the tip of the screw 35 might project if the screw were left in place, or which opening might be objectionable to the customer if the screw were removed. The slot shown to the left of the opening 50 in Fig. 8 may or may not be employed. Its purpose is to permit the free movement of the finger 8 from side to side as the movable blade is reciprocated across the fixed blade. The parts are entirely of metal, and details further than described are unimportant.

What is claimed as new is 1. In a hair clipper, the combination with fixed and movable blades, and means for reciprocating the movable blade upon the fixed blade; of a gage of T-shaped contour, a hinge connection between the rear end of its shank and the bottom of said fixed blade, a spring inclosing the hinge pin and throwing the front end of said gage normally toward the front edge of said blade, and a rolling element interposed between the shank and the fixed blade and movable toward and away from said hinge for adjusting the position of the front end of the gage.

2. In a hair clipper, the combination with fixed and movable blades, and means for reciprocating the movable blade upon the fixed blade; of a gage of T-shaped contour, a hinge connection between the rear end of its shank and the bottom of said fixed blade, a spring inclosing the hinge pin and throwing the front end of said gage normally toward the front edge of said blade, the shank being longitudinally slotted, and a wheel whose body projects through said slot and Whose trunnions overlie the shank, its upper side traveling beneath the fixed blade and its lower side adapted for contact with the customers head, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LESLIE E. VASS. 

